The New Zealand Dental Association and Ministry of Health (MoH) are key supporters of our cutting-edge dental and oral health research, through the NZ Dental Research Foundation (NZDRF) and MoH Oral Health Research funding rounds. Funding from these grants supports the research of our academic and research staff, as well as training of our postgraduate students.
In the 2020 NZDRF funding round, a total of $158,296 in funding has been awarded for research projects led by our staff and postgraduate students. SJWRI researchers are also lead investigators on projects awarded $47,402 in MoH Oral Health Research funding, with a further $88,000 awarded to projects led by our collaborators at University of Otago Wellington.
As always, we thank the NZ Dental Research Foundation, the NZDA and its membership, and the Ministry of Health for their continued support.
New Zealand Dental Research Foundation
Established in 1964 by the NZ Dental Association, the NZ Dental Research Foundation awards grants for research projects related to dentistry. Its overall purpose is to "promote, foster and extend the study and practice of the art and science of dentistry in New Zealand". Since its inception, the Foundation has provided financial support for decades of dental and oral health research projects within the Dental School and the SJWRI, to help extend the boundaries of dental knowledge and to promote the fostering and extension of the study and practice of the art and science of dentistry in New Zealand. The Research Foundation is funded by donations from dental practitioners, the dental supply industry and other businesses, as well as proceeds from the annual NZDA Conference and other fundraising activities. The SJWRI and the Faculty are hugely grateful for the role and contribution of the NZDRF, the NZDA and its membership, in supporting our research over the past five decades, in the process helping many of our Masters, PhD and specialising dental postgraduate students complete their studies.
In the 2020 NZ Dental Research Foundation grant round, projects led by SJWRI researchers have been awarded a total of $158,296 in funding, including $4,360 from the Dental Industry Group Research Award and $10,000 from the Continuing Dental Education Trust of Auckland.
| Lead investigator | Other named investigators | Project title | Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Joanne Choi | A/Prof Sunyoung Ma, Prof Neil Waddell, Ana Grymak |
Evaluation of mechanical properties, wear behaviour and polishability for occlusal splints fabricated using various manufacturing methods | $10,860 |
| Dr Harsha De Silva | Jesslyn Praganta, Prof Murray Thomson, A/Prof Rohana K De Silva, Prof Darryl Tong | Does the intra-operative use of advanced platelet-rich fibrin (A-PRF) improve post-operative outcomes in third molar surgery? | $7,350 ($4,360 DIGRA) |
| Prof Warwick Duncan | Asrar Elahi, A/Prof Dawn Coates, Prof Neil Waddell, Dr Kai Chun Li | Development and optimisation using supercritical fluid CO2 extraction of bovine bone for oral block grafting | $15,000 |
| Prof Mauro Farella | Nick Pittar, Dr Fiona Firth | Effect of passive clear aligners on masticatory muscle activity in adults with and without oral parafunction | $10,000 |
| Dr Fiona Firth | Sherry Lee, Prof Mauro Farella, Dr Li (Peter) Mei, A/Prof Ben Daniel (Higher Education Development Centre, UO) | Patients' experiences with orthodontic treatment through traditional fixed appliances, clear aligners and direct-to-consumer clear aligners: a qualitative study | $10,000 (CDET) |
| Dr Haizal Mohd Hussaini | Shelly Arora, A/Prof Lara Friedlander, Prof Paul Cooper, Dr Benedict Seo, Dr Shakila Rizwan (Pharmacy, UO), Prof Alison Rich | Can immunotherapy be used in inflamed dental pulp tissue to preserve tooth vitality? | $15,000 |
| Dr Haizal Mohd Hussaini | Aida Ngah, Prof George Dias (Anatomy, UO), Prof Darryl Tong, Dr Jithendra Ratnayake | Osteoinductive potential of bioactive glass, collagen and lyophilized platelet-rich fibrin scaffold for alveolar cleft osteoplasty | $14,980 |
| A/Prof Sunyoung Ma | Majd Khashashneh, Dr Joanne Choi, Prof Sergio Salis | An in vitro study of accuracy of partial denture frameworks fabricated using traditional and digital workflows | $14,990 |
| Dr Lei (May) Mei | Dr Li (Peter) Mei, Dr Manikandan Ekambaram, Prof Chun Hung Chu (Hong Kong U), Prof Richard Cannon | The development of a novel dual-action antimicrobial peptide to prevent root caries | $15,000 |
| Dr Li (Peter) Mei | Khac Thuong Nguyen, Prof Mauro Farella | Three-dimensional stereophotogrammetry analysis of lips response to changes of incisor position and occlusal vertical dimension | $1,500 |
| Dr Trudy Milne | Dr Erwin Lamping, Prof Richard Cannon | MiniG®1600 – Automated Tissue Bead Mill Homogeniser and Cell Lyser | $15,000 |
| Dr Jithendra Ratnayake | Dr Lei (May) Mei, Prof Paul Cooper, A/Prof Geoffrey Tompkins | Bringing waste cow bone to toothpaste: Development and testing of a novel silver-substituted bovine derived nanohydroxyapatite toothpaste for caries management | $8,919 |
| Dr Don Schwass | Prof Paul Brunton, A/Prof Geoffrey Tompkins, A/Prof Carla Meledandri (Chemistry, UO), Minati Choudhury | Gold nanoparticles: A novel treatment strategy for oral mucositis | $10,330 |
| Dr Graeme Ting | Dr Moira Smith (Public Health UOW), Dr Ariyapala Samaranayaka (DSM Biostatistics, UO), Beatrice Ng | Feasibility of teledentistry among residents and primary care providers at aged residential care facilities in the Otago region of New Zealand | $5,000 |
| Dr Graeme Ting | Prof Murray Thomson, Farah Zainuddin | Measuring dry mouth in older people in residential care in Dunedin | $4,367 |
Named investigators are from the SJWRI/Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago (UO) unless otherwise noted. |
Ministry of Health Oral Health Research Grants
In 2007, the NZ Ministry of Health established a funding programme for oral health research, managed by the NZDA and its Research Foundation, to fund research targeted towards the oral health priorities of the Ministry. Priority is given to oral health research that targets children and adolescents; people of all ages with physical, intellectual, behavioural, or cognitive disabilities, or who are medically compromised; people experiencing inequalities of outcome (e.g. Maori, Pacific and low-income populations); maternal oral health; older adults; and research focusing on promoting oral health, building links with primary care and building the oral health workforce.
In the 2020 MoH Oral Health Research round, projects led by SJWRI researchers have been awarded a total of $47,402 in funding. Our collaborators at University of Otago Wellington, led by SJWRI Associate Investigator Dr Moira Smith (Department of Public Health, UOW), secured a further $88,000 in MoH funding.
Lead investigator
Other named investigators
Project title
Awarded
A/Prof Jonathan Broadbent
Chuen Lin Hong, Prof Murray Thomson
Towards understanding inequality in oral health-related quality of life
$39,152
Dr Moira Smith
(Public Health UOW)*Dr Anna Ferguson (Public Health UOW), Dr Graeme Ting
Promoting and protecting the oral health of dependent older New Zealanders 'ageing in place'
$44,000
Dr Moira Smith
(Public Health UOW)*Dr Elizabeth Hitching (Capital & Coast DHB), Dr Lynn McBain (General Practice & Primary Care UOW), Dr Justin Wall (Māori Oral Health Quality Improvement Group)
Embedding oral health in primary medical care practice: determining feasible and acceptable approaches
$44,000
Prof Murray Thomson
Tania Stuart, Jonathan Broadbent, Lee Adam
Oral health care experiences of patients undergoing treatment for head and neck cancer
$8,250
|
Named investigators are from the SJWRI/Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago unless otherwise noted. *Associate Investigator of the SJWRI |
Summaries of these research projects will be presented in forthcoming issues of the NZ Dental Association magazine NZDA News.
Congratulations to all those funded in this year's rounds.
Learn more:
New Zealand Dental Association
MoH Oral Health Research Fund (administered by the NZDRF)